Adjusting My Comsumption

Opting out of consumer culture is harder than I thought. I’ve got my first convention of the year coming up this weekend so I went to the grocery store to get some snacks. In addition to the veggie sticks The Boy likes, I also grabbed some sweet potato sticks to try which were not on the list. Also not on the list was the Red Lobster biscuit mix. It was on an endcap and on sale 2 for $5. Normally I can resist stuff like that but even from a box those are delicious.

My other impulse purchases were practical stuff that just didn’t make the list like tissues and dental floss. Nothing too bad but there was definitely the sense on “What did I spend all that on again?” I had dinner with my mom on Saturday and we went past Torrid and I had a hard time stopping myself from not going in and looking around. I kept reminding myself that I didn’t need anything. Logically I know my brain craves the happy chemical rush that comes with getting something new, especially for a deal. Logically understanding the craving doesn’t make the craving go away.

More than one minimalist person said that it’s hardest for the first few months and then the urge to shop and acquire fades away. I haven’t been a model citizen but both of my slips weren’t without reason. ModCloth happened because I ordered something that didn’t fit right and am waiting to exchange it. Amazon happened because I wanted free shipping and got things that weren’t just for me. At least food impulse purchases result in an experience. It’s been psychologically proven that experiences, especially with other people, are some of the happiest ways to spend your money.

Speaking of happy money, I officially own my car. It is completely paid off and 100% mine. I need to handle some paperwork but it’s mine all mine. Instead of splitting money between the car and credit card, I was able to do a big fat payment on my credit card. It was a bit higher than I’d like because I ordered a bunch of my cosplay stuff at the end of December. Let’s hope experiences and low debt make not shopping worth it.